


i used to never wait for tomorrow, but you became the reason

by faejoonie



Category: ENHYPEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Ghosts, M/M, Magical Realism, Minor Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Sunoo is a 9-tailed fox, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-25 19:48:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30094242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faejoonie/pseuds/faejoonie
Summary: Something in Sunoo’s chest shifted in a way it had only once before, a memory resurfacing from fifteen years ago that he felt completely wash away the sounds of the room around them as if transporting him back to that child’s bedroom one dark and rainy evening.“Hi,” Sunoo said, his lips curving into a smile as he extended his hand down towards this person who was a stranger and yet was not, “I’m Kim Sunoo.”or,Sunoo isn't exactly human. Heeseung definitely is. they try and make it work.
Relationships: Kim Sunoo/Lee Heeseung, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Nishimura Riki | Ni-ki/Yang Jungwon, Park Jongseong | Jay/Sim Jaeyun | Jake
Comments: 18
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!
> 
> this idea has been in my brain for like a month now? this story is very much inspired by the kdrama 'tale of the nine tailed'. as soon as i had the thought of 'sunoo as a 9-tailed fox' it literally wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> i've taken a lot of broad backgrounds and ideas from the drama but it's kind of a lite version of it (much less violence/gore) and it's much more slice-of-life (i hope??). i've also watered down a lot of lore cause it's way too complicated for something like this, as well as added in my own headcanons/ideas for certain aspects of the world. i do recommend the drama though! lee dongwook is amazing!
> 
> the boys are aged up by 2 years. i'll be taking my time with this one bc i feel like the tone will be difficult to get down just right so i hope you'll all be patient with me and let's enjoy this journey together!! :)
> 
> title is from 'better better' by day6

_Fifteen years ago_

It was one of those late spring nights where the wind howled warm and heavy, bringing with it the scent of rain as the promise of a coming storm gathered in the pitch-black clouds hanging low over Seoul. Even as the evening drew closer to midnight, the downtown remained alit with lights and life, the sea of humanity continuing to flow blissfully onwards even as a few individuals made note of the inclement weather and began to seek out shelter. The residential areas were much emptier, families having already retired to sleep hours before. The streets here were dark, save for the streetlamps that illuminated the odd stray cat slinking from shadow to shadow.

The calm before the storm along one such street was suddenly shattered, the sound of a splintering door inside an inconspicuous two-story home destroying the illusion of a hushed evening. The lights inside this home on the first floor were illuminated as shadows flickered past the windows at inhuman speeds, the dark figures forming otherworldly silhouettes that would have been terrifying if anyone had been outside watching. A spray of blood shot across one of the windows, accompanied by a shrill scream that was abruptly cut short.

Inside the home, a beautiful young man was pushed away from the living room where grunts and the impacts of flesh against bone continued. The man who pushed him out of the room didn’t appear to be that much older than him, but he held himself with a gravity that was only further emphasized by the way his eyes glowed yellow as he looked after the boy he had shoved.

“Upstairs. The child.” With that, he disappeared back into the living room where the sounds of fighting swelled in a crescendo, the sound of a shattering window causing the young man to quickly move towards the staircase leading to the second floor, bounding up the steps two-at-a-time.

The sounds of fighting were only slightly muted as he moved through the dark second floor, impacts against the walls below him shaking the very foundation of the home so that a pot of flowers on a side table in the hallway was knocked off of its perch. The young man pounced before it could smash against the floor, scooping it up with unbelievable speed and gingerly returning it to its spot.

The pretty young man’s bright fox-like eyes swept back-and-forth in front of him as he crept down the hallway, passing by what looked like a bathroom and the master bedroom, both doors open and their interiors devoid of life. He slowly made his way towards the end of the hall where a lone door stood shut as if protesting the violence that had taken over the home.

The young man gingerly tried the doorknob, huffing a little in wry amusement to find it locked. His eyes flashed gold for a split second as he more forcefully turned the knob, the lock inside the door snapping with the force as he broke the door open.

The interior was dark but that did little to stop the young man from seeing that this was a child’s room. A small bed sat in the center, a small desk covered in books and drawings sat in a corner by the window, while a small keyboard took up a good chunk of the wall beside the door, marked-up sheet music covering the piano stand.

The young man paused in the doorway for a second, his eyes taking in everything, looking for any sign of movement. There was a sudden long, drawn-out wail that sounded from the first floor, so eery and off-putting that it made the young man’s own heart stutter in fear for a split second. It was also frightening enough, it seemed, to reveal the small owner of the room as well, a tiny, muffled gasp coming from the other side of the room, tucked away behind the bed and closer to the window.

A grim smile crossed the man’s face as he stepped into the room and around the bed. A sudden flash of lightning as the storm that had been gathering outside broke lit the interior of the room for the briefest of seconds where the young man could finally see the small child huddled in the corner, knees brought up to his chest as he tried to make himself smaller, as if he could totally disappear if he tried hard enough.

The accompanying crack of thunder rumbled loudly outside as the young man carefully approached the child who was staring up at him now from under his black hair with big doe eyes that were wide with fear. The man kneeled in front of him, bringing them eye-level with each other as another flash of lightning illuminated the room, the young man’s skin looking even paler than normal as he held the child’s frightened gaze.

“Hello.” The young man’s vocal tone was low and pleasant-sounding as he smiled at the small child who looked to be no more than five or six years old. The boy blinked at him once, twice, three times as a yell of frustration and anger echoed from the first floor up to them.

“Hi,” the child responded quietly, eyes wide and alert.

“Are you hurt?” The young man tried to get as good a look at the child as he could without touching him. The boy was dressed in light pajamas but seemed unharmed.

“No, but…” The boy’s small hands gripped at the edge of his pajama pants as he looked searchingly at the young man. “My mom and dad.” The young man gave the boy a small, sad smile as he gingerly reached out to brush the boy’s shaggy black hair out of his eyes.

“They’ve asked me to come up and bring you somewhere safe,” the young man responded, his eyes curving along with his warm smile. The thud that sounded below them was thankfully too quiet for a human to hear but it served to fill the man with a renewed sense of urgency. “Do you think you can come with me?”

Outside, rain began to fall in sheets as another crack of lightning and accompanying peal of thunder resounded over the city. The sound of it pounding against the windowpane served to mercifully dampen the sounds coming from the first floor.

The child looked up dubiously as the pretty young man stood, standing over him with one hand outstretched, an encouraging smile softening his already striking features.

“They always said not to talk to strangers,” the little boy said even as he slowly reached up to take the man’s hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

“How about this,” the young man said, gently tugging the child a few feet away towards the window. “If I tell you my name, will we still be strangers?” The child looked up at him with big eyes as if he was seriously considering the question. The man spotted a child-sized rain jacket slung over the back of the chair at the desk and grabbed it, holding it out to the boy, waiting for him to reach out first to put it on.

“I guess not,” the child admitted, stepping closer to allow the man to help him into it.

“Alright then,” the man said, kneeling before the boy and zipping up the jacket snugly, pulling the hood over his head of black hair. “I’m Kim Sunoo. It’s nice to meet you.”

The child’s big doe eyes stared down at him for a second before a small smile finally crossed his serious little face, those same wide eyes softening and brightening in such a way that caused Kim Sunoo’s chest to tighten for the briefest of moments.

The boy looked as if he was about to respond when a sudden, thunderous crash resounded from down the hallway, much closer than any of the other sounds of fighting had ever gotten, followed by a blood-curdling inhuman screech.

“Sunoo!” Sunoo’s head snapped up at the yell echoing around the house. “Get out of here!” Sunoo looked back at the boy who was beginning to once more tremble in fear and grabbed his hands.

“You hold on tight to me and don’t let go. No matter what.” The child nodded, lips pressing tightly together even as his big eyes were clouded over by unshed tears.

In one smooth motion, Sunoo turned and hoisted the boy onto his back, thin arms and legs winding tightly around his neck and waist.

Sunoo pushed the window open and easily slid outside onto the gently sloping roof only to be greeted by sheets of warm spring rain, whipped into a frenzy by the howling wind. He felt the boy turn his face into his neck to avoid getting splashed by water and he smiled for a moment, hoisting the child a little higher up on his back.

Sunoo heard another crash from behind him but refused to look back, instead leaping off the roof onto the grassy front yard below. He didn’t stumble, instead dashing with inhuman speed across the lawn and vaulting himself over the front picket fence of the home, taking off down the dark and quiet rain—drenched street, the child on his back clinging onto him.

He heard the boy gasp only once at a particularly loud crash of thunder that accompanied a flash of lightning so bright it momentarily turned the night into day.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sunoo huffed, his black hair sticking to his forehead from the rain, water streaming down his face. “We’re almost there.”

Before long they finally reached Sunoo’s destination: the local police station. Sunoo jogged up to the front entrance, barely breathing heavy despite having run three kilometres in less than three minutes. He barely glanced at the security cameras at the front entrance as he gently lowered the child from his back as soon as they got to the front door, protected from the rain by an overhang.

Sunoo pushed his wet hair back out of his face and looked down to find the boy staring up at him. Sunoo knelt in front of him with a smile, lowering his hood and pushing his slightly wet bangs away from his big eyes.

“If you go in there and tell them your name, they’ll be able to help you get somewhere nice.” The child was wringing his own hands nervously as he looked over Sunoo’s shoulder at the well-lit interior of the police station.

“Are you leaving me?” He asked, looking back at Sunoo with his big eyes. Sunoo swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat as he nodded. The boy’s lips quivered, and he raised one hand to clutch onto the sleeve of Sunoo’s plain black t-shirt. “I want you to come with me.”

Sunoo smiled at the boy, reaching up to pull his hand back. “If you go now, one day we might meet again.” The boy stared at him.

“Promise?” Sunoo smiled and leaned forward, returning the child’s stare steadfastly.

“If we are meant to, nothing will prevent it. That I can promise.” The boy had enough time to begin to smile at him before Sunoo’s eyes glowed bright yellow as he raised a hand to gently touch the boy’s forehead. Sunoo caught the child before he fell to the ground, eyes rolling back into his head, unconscious.

Sunoo gently lowered the small child onto the ground, making sure to pull his hood back up over his head before standing and striding to the doors of the police station. He rapped his fist against the glass three times, making sure that the boy wouldn’t be outside for too long before he stepped back towards the pouring rain.

He looked once more at the small boy curled up on the ground, the faintest hint of wet curls peaking out from his hood, and felt his chest constrict once more. The feeling was alien to him and if time had allowed it, he would have lingered. But the approach of humans from within the station forced him to race back into the rain, his silhouette illuminated only by two high floodlights in the parking lot and a flash of lightning that once more streaked across the sky as if daring him to race it, and the feeling was set aside.

~ෆ~

_Present Day_

Lee Heeseung woke up with a gasp, sitting up in his bed with a jolt with his blankets tangled around his legs. He took a deep shuddering breath as he lifted a hand to push his hair off his sweaty forehead, swallowing drily against the fear that had been coiling in his stomach.

He let his hand fall back into his lap with a tired sigh, blinking the sleep from his eyes as he looked around his familiar room. He couldn’t tell what time of day it was as the curtains were drawn but he was sure that it must be at least noon. Thankfully it was a Saturday and he didn’t have anywhere to be.

Heeseung sat still for the next few minutes, his mind replaying the nightmare that was as familiar to him as his own thoughts. He knew that he always dreamed of the night his parents were killed. He had been told later that it was an armed robbery and that he had been left outside of the police station by an unknown passerby. But the sounds that came back to him through his dreams of that night weren’t anything he’d ever heard before or since.

Heeseung couldn’t remember anything about that night other than the screams of his mother in the distance and the shriek of something… else. He could also remember the sensation of rain on his skin and the sound of thunder, mostly just sounds and impressions but nothing concrete. The only thing he could vividly remember seeing that night was a pair of glowing yellow fox-like eyes that stared at him out of the darkness. It had been so many years since then and he’d only been six at the time, so the odd parts of his nightmares were often chalked up to his mind creating impossible scenarios for a traumatic situation. Heeseung would normally agree with that opinion had it not been for his own personal stance on the existence of the supernatural but since he had no way of proving that those eyes existed in reality, he resigned himself to being haunted by them for the rest of his life.

Heeseung remained sitting there, letting his thoughts wander as he blankly stared at the back of his closed door, sheets still tangled around him, his recent nightmare making him feel drained even though he had just woken up.

That door opened then, making Heeseung blink out of his daze as his younger brother Jungwon walked into his room. After the death of his parents, Heeseung had been quickly put into foster care but thankfully the first place he got sent to was Jungwon’s family who decided to adopt him after only a month, securing Heeseung kind adoptive parents and an adoring younger brother in the form of the adorable Yang Jungwon.

This ‘adorable’ brother was currently staring at Heeseung still in bed with a judging expression.

“I’ll do the dishes for a week if you can tell me what time it is right now,” Jungwon casually began, stepping fully into Heeseung’s room and walking over to his curtained window.

Heeseung sighed and allowed himself to flop backwards onto his pillows, turning his head to look at Jungwon’s back. “I don’t know, like, 12:30 maybe?” Jungwon snorted in amusement and threw open the curtains, allowing the mid-afternoon sun to stream into the previously dimly lit room.

“It’s quarter after two, hyung. Literally the whole day is over!” Jungwon lifted the edge of the windowsill to pull the window open, a warm spring breeze instantly blowing into the room and ruffling the brothers’ black hair. Their apartment might be on the smaller side but the view of their neighborhood and the breeze they got this high up definitely made up for it.

“Saying that the whole day is over seems like a bit of an overstatement,” Heeseung lightly responded, lazily kicking his legs until his sheets were no longer cocooning him. “Do you know how much you can get done if you stay up until six in the morning?”

“As much as you could have gotten done if you’d woken up at six instead?” Jungwon retorted with a smile, his dimples popping into view as he came to sit beside Heeseung, the older brother rolling his eyes.

“You always have something to say,” he grumbled, mentally preparing himself to get out of bed as Jungwon pulled out his phone, the two of them sitting in silence broken only by the gentle movement of the curtains in the incoming breeze and the odd sound of a car passing by outside.

Heeseung had moved onto his university campus when he began school and lived there for the first two years. When he began to make plans to move into his own apartment off-campus heading into his third year, his parents had insisted that Jungwon come and spend his last year of high school living with him. They said that it was so that Jungwon could get used to living on his own but Heeseung knew that they worried about him not taking care of himself if he was on his own and not living on school property. Heeseung thought it was unnecessary, but he of course was happy to be living with his brother again, especially since Jungwon was so responsible and honestly did not need much looking after. The two brothers understood each other even though they were very different people and living together suited them well.

Heeseung reached over to his bedside table where his phone lay and unlocked it, only to immediately turn it off with a tired groan as he saw how many messages he’d missed.

“Oh right,” Jungwon commented, glancing over at him. “Jongseong-hyung texted me to make sure that you showed up at Yeonjun-hyung’s party tonight and not just hole yourself away at the studio.”

Heeseung rolled his eyes and slowly unlocked his phone, now more prepared to see the long list of messages from people trying to contact him. There was Park Jongseong of course, his messages tinged with fond exasperation, along with Jongseong’s boyfriend Sim Jaeyun who had the same things to say as Jongseong but in a much warmer tone of voice.

“If anyone were to read these, they’d think that I literally never go outside,” Heeseung mumbled, even though his heart did warm at the thought of his friends wanting him to go out and have fun.

He scrolled down a little more to where he saw that Yeonjun himself had messaged him first thing that morning:  
  


**yeonjunie-hyung  
**u know this is the first party ive ever hosted right?  
youd better be there for emotional support or else  
Soobin will be sad and then ill be the one in trouble  
  


Heeseung smiled slightly at his phone as he typed out a quick affirmative reassurance, chuckling a little as Yeonjun instantly replied with a cute dancing fox emoji.

“So, you’re going?” Jungwon stated more than asked, watching his brother closely. At Heeseung’s nod, Jungwon clapped his hands together and jumped from Heeseung’s bed, moving briskly across the room to stand in front of Heeseung’s closet. He threw it open revealing a large collection of oversized comfy checkered shirts and baggy sweatpants that Jungwon immediately pushed to the side as he began to dig through the remaining clothes that Heeseung owned.

“What are you doing?” Heeseung whined as he finally pulled himself out of bed and padded his way over to join his little brother, anxiously standing over him as he searched. “Everything was organized perfectly!” Jungwon laughed in response as he unearthed a pair of black skinny jeans and a purple button-up, turning around to thrust them into Heeseung’s arms.

“Sorry hyung, but this is a once-in-a-blue-moon occasion and there is no way I’m letting you walk out the door dressed like you’ve draped sheets over yourself.”

“It’s comfortable!” Heeseung protested as he let Jungwon push him out of his room and in the direction of the bathroom, already feeling like he maybe shouldn’t have gotten out of bed.

~☀~

Kim Sunoo stared at himself in the full-length mirror that stood at the end of one of the long corridors of the Afterlife Processing House, taking a moment to admire his reflection. He raised a hand to carefully brush his neatly parted shiny black hair out of his dark fox-like eyes, his gaze silently appraising his dark blue jeans and red sweater that seemed to make his pale skin glow.

He knelt to gently rub out a speck of dust that had gathered on the tip of his black Chelsea’s, his gaze darting to the mirror once more as he noticed another pair of slick black boots step into view just behind him.

Sunoo rose to his feet as he looked at the reflection of Nishimura Riki who was now standing behind him, looking the other up-and-down with a thoughtful look on his face. The kid didn’t look much more than sixteen or seventeen, but he was dressed up like he was about to go out for a night on the town, his dyed blonde hair framing his face like a golden fountain.

Sunoo rolled his eyes as soon as Riki opened his mouth, which caused Riki to clamp his mouth back shut with a pout.

“If you’re about to ask if you can come, the answer is no.” Sunoo said, finally turning around to face Riki, hating that he had to look up at him.

“That’s not fair,” Riki protested, moving aside as Sunoo stepped around him and began walking down the hallway, quickly following on his heels. “This is literally the first time you’ve ever gone to one of these university parties and I want to come too!”

“The only reason why I’m going to this one is because it’s Yeonjun-hyung who’s throwing it,” Sunoo tried to explain as he and Riki made their way down the long carpeted hallway of the House, walking past various paintings that stared down at them judgingly. “It’s the first time he’s ever done something like this, and he wants me – _me –_ to experience something like this every now and then, especially since he’s not around anymore.” Sunoo couldn’t see Riki but he could _feel_ the boy rolling his eyes behind him.

“It’s not that you’ve never gone to a party before because you can’t, it’s because you don’t! You’re so boring, Sunoo-hyung.”

Sunoo paused at the top of the winding circular staircase they’d arrived at. From here they could look over the banister at the marbled front entryway of the House, an elaborate chandelier hanging from the ceiling not too far from them.

Sunoo turned to look at Riki seriously who was apparently adamant at maintaining his pout. “I’m saying no because this is both of our first time’s doing something like this and I really don’t want Yeonjun-hyung to have to get into any kind of trouble.” Riki’s eyes grew pitiful as he reached forward to grab Sunoo’s hand, his fingers brushing coolly against his own.

“I promise not to get into any trouble! People won’t even know I’m there; I swear.” Sunoo gazed at Riki for a few moments before he sighed and gently peeled himself away from Riki’s vice-like grip.

“Fine,” he grumbled, turning back around to begin walking down the stairs. “It’s not like I could really stop you anyways.” Sunoo almost jumped out of his skin as Riki giggled and hugged him from behind.

“As long as you know,” the boy laughed into his ear before Sunoo elbowed him off of him and continued making his way downstairs, Riki bounding ahead of him like an overexcited puppy.

Sunoo slowed as he neared the end of the stairs as he noticed a dark figure waiting for him at the bottom.

“Sunghoon,” he lightly greeted, the individual in question turning to look up at him from where he’d been focused on Riki trying to edge past him without being detected. Park Sunghoon was as classically handsome as humans could get in Sunoo’s opinion, even though he was unbelievably stiff and rule-abiding. Jet black hair, thick, dark eyebrows, a perfectly sloped nose, and a chiseled jaw; he was truly model material. _Such a waste._

Sunoo held his gaze as he finished descending the stairs, pausing in front of Sunghoon and tilting his head questioningly.

“Where are the two of you headed?” Sunghoon asked, glancing over at Riki who was tapping his forefingers together impatiently behind him near the front door.

“Why? Are you offering to give us a ride?” Sunoo asked with a small smile. Sunghoon made a sound that sounded like laughter even though his face didn’t change much at all.

“We both know that’s not necessary.”

“So, why are you asking where we are off to suddenly? Did you want to come along? Or,” Sunoo added, raising his eyebrows for dramatic effect, “did Jimin-hyung ask you to keep tabs on us again.” Sunghoon shifted awkwardly and glanced away, telling Sunoo everything he needed to know. “Well,” Sunoo continued, beginning to walk past Sunghoon who was staring at the floor now in frustration, “if you really wanted to know maybe you should try talking to your cousin. Last I heard Yeonjun-hyung runs in the same circles as the other branch of Parks that you’re so insistent on avoiding.”

“Jimin-ssi is worried about you getting too involved with the human world,” Sunghoon spoke up from behind Sunoo, making Sunoo pause mid-step. “For a Gumiho as young as yourself, it’s ill-advised. Especially since Yeonjun-hyung can’t look out for you anymore.”

Sunoo’s lips quirked up slightly in a small smirk as he continued walking to the front door, the heels of his boots sounding loud across the marble. Riki followed quickly in his shadow. “Tell Jimin-hyung that he’s worrying over nothing, and that even if Yeonjun-hyung isn’t with us anymore he’s still looking out for me. He isn’t that irresponsible.” Sunoo paused before opening the door, looking back over his shoulder to see Sunghoon looking after them with a frown on his face. “You really should get out more, Park Sunghoon. You’re a human, being able to have fun sometimes should be part of your nature.”

With that, Sunoo and Riki stepped out the door of the Afterlife Processing House and into the warm night air of mid-spring. Sunoo breathed in deeply as the two of them made their way across the well-kept gardens that decorated the courtyard of the House before they both slipped out the wrought-iron gate and onto the streets of Seoul. The moon was in its waning phase, a small sliver of light that drifted over the buildings as the pair blended in quietly with the nightlife.

For anyone else the time it would take to get into a car and drive to Choi Yeonjun and Choi Soobin’s apartment would be a little more than half an hour. For Sunoo and Riki however, they were able to arrive on the Choi’s front door in less than ten minutes, both as perfectly put together as they had been when they’d left.

Sunoo turned to Riki before they rang the doorbell, the younger rolling his eyes before Sunoo even had a chance to open his mouth.

“They won’t even know I’m there,” he promised. Sunoo sighed, shaking his head as he rang the buzzer. They could hear pulsing music leaking out from inside the apartment along with the sound of loud conversation and laughter. Sunoo nervously straightened his sweater and ran a hand through his hair one last time before the door swung open to reveal the handsome, grinning face of none other than Choi Yeonjun.

“You actually came!” Yeonjun said, happily pulling Sunoo into the front entryway, Riki squeezing in behind them. Sunoo felt a familiar pang of sadness as Yeonjun touched him and he felt no answering course of magic or anything otherworldly running through him. Choi Yeonjun had once held divinity within his grasp, but he now radiated only the slightest bit of magic as if a part of him was still trying to tell the world that he once wielded strength beyond their wildest imaginings. “It’s good to see you too, Riki,” Yeonjun added, winking at the boy who grinned happily back at them before slipping away with a frankly frightening gleam in his eyes into the crowd that Sunoo could now see completely filled Yeonjun’s home.

“Wow,” Sunoo said, staring out at the mess of bodies that seemed to be dancing to music in the middle of the living room, neon floor lamps illuminating the space like a makeshift dance floor. Sunoo could see people across the room in the open kitchen mixing all kinds of drinks into a big bowl that he wouldn’t drink out of if they paid him in gold. There had to be close to fifty people crammed into this apartment and frankly Sunoo was more amazed at Yeonjun having so many friends than anything else.

“Yeah…” Yeonjun laughed, his tone a tad distressed as he pushed his hand through his dyed bright pink hair. “A friend told a friend who told a friend and so on. You know how it is.” Sunoo didn’t but he nodded anyways.

Excited butterflies filled his stomach as his gaze moved over every inch of the room, trying to decide if he wanted to try dancing first or if he wanted to go find a quiet corner to calm himself down in instead.

“Where’s Soobin-hyung?” He asked, his eyes sweeping over the people in the living room, standing on tiptoe to try and spot Yeonjun’s very tall boyfriend.

“He was over on the couch on the other side of the room,” Yeonjun said, craning his head over the crowd as he took Sunoo’s elbow and slowly led him around the edge of the room to avoid the mess of people dancing. “Oh, there he is!”

Sunoo followed Yeonjun’s finger to where he was pointing until he indeed did see the soft-looking Choi Soobin sitting on a couch, pressed close to another lanky-looking boy, deep in conversation.

“Bin!” Yeonjun shouted over the noise of the music and laughter as he gently pushed Sunoo forward towards them. Soobin blinked mid-conversation and looked towards them, a smile crossing his face as he waved at Sunoo enthusiastically.

Sunoo was about to wave back, a smile spreading over his own face, when the person Soobin had been talking to also turned his head to look at where Soobin was waving. It felt as if Sunoo had been frozen mid-step as his gaze met big doe-eyes that looked at him curiously. Something in Sunoo’s chest shifted in a way it had only once before, a memory resurfacing from fifteen years ago that he felt completely wash away the sounds of the room around them as if transporting him back to that child’s bedroom one dark and rainy evening.

“Sunoo?” Yeonjun asked in his ear, putting a steadying hand to Sunoo’s shoulder as Sunoo’s steps faltered.

“That’s…” Sunoo breathed in sharply, realizing that he had indeed forgotten how to breathe for a few seconds. He continued to stare at the now-grown young man sitting beside Soobin who was also now returning his stare with a slight frown on his face.

“You… recognize him?” Yeonjun’s voice was surprised and Sunoo tore his gaze away from the man to look over at Yeonjun who was peering at him closely. “It’s the child from…”

“Yeah, I remember.” With that, Sunoo pulled away from Yeonjun and strode the remaining feet to the couch where Soobin and the young man sat. Sunoo came to stand right in front of the now young adult and gazed down at him. He was met with an equally curious stare as the young man looked up at him from under a mass of tastefully messy black hair, lips slightly parted as if on the verge of asking a question.

“Hi,” Sunoo said, his lips curving into a smile as he extended his hand down towards this person who was a stranger and yet was not, “I’m Kim Sunoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Gumiho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumiho#:~:text=A%20kumiho%20%28gumiho%29%20%28Korean%20pronunciation%3A%20%5Bkumiho%5D%3B%20Korean%20%3A,the%20Chinese%20huli%20jing%20and%20the%20Japanese%20kitsune.): A kumiho (gumiho) (Korean pronunciation: [kumiho]; Korean : 구미호; Hanja : 九尾狐, literally " nine-tailed fox ") is a creature that appears in the folktales and legends of Korea. Korean kumiho shares many similarities to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune.
> 
> comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated, especially because this is definitely a different kind of story than i'm used to writing so i hope it ends up coming across the way i imagined it in my head haha


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls don't expect such a quick update ever again haha, i just realized that these first 2 chapters kind of serve as an introduction of sorts before we get to the good stuff.
> 
> definitely didn't realize it got so long as i was writing omg

_One Hour Earlier_

Heeseung was frankly impressed at the speed at which Jungwon had pushed him out of their apartment after dragging him out of bed. He was so quick in fact that he found himself standing in front of Yeonjun and Soobin’s apartment a whole half-hour before they’d said the party was set to really kick off. Granted, Jungwon had told him that he’d volunteered Heeseung to help them set up their apartment so technically he had arrived right when he was supposed to, even though all of this scheduling had more or less happened behind his back.

The Choi’s door opened to find a frankly frazzled-looking Soobin who beamed at him gratefully as soon as he saw him, yanking Heeseung into the house, the younger hurriedly kicking off his shoes as Soobin dragged him towards the open kitchen. Heeseung was joyfully brought by Soobin to stand before Yeonjun, the bubble-gum-haired man looking seriously into the oven where what appeared to be quiches lay baking, a polka-dot apron wrapped around his waist.

“You’re finally here,” Yeonjun stated, glancing over at Heeseung for but a moment before his pastries reclaimed his attention. “I’m pretty sure I asked our sweet Jungwonie to make sure you were here half an hour ago.”

“That’s on me,” Heeseung explained, holding up a placating hand as he wrestled to catch up with the suddenly tense atmosphere. “I’m hard to wake up.”

“Poor Jungwon,” Soobin murmured from behind Heeseung, causing the youngest to huff out a laugh that died as soon as it became obvious that the couple wouldn’t join in.

Heeseung knew that Yeonjun and Soobin had been thinking about this party for weeks and both were, in his opinion, disproportionately nervous. Yeonjun especially, for someone who almost never showed his nerves even when on stage in front of large crowds or standing before a room of students as a TA, looked as if he was on the verge of losing it. Heeseung caught him take more than one centering look at his boyfriend every now and then, Soobin always there to place a large hand on his back or his shoulder.

Heeseung, predictably, declined kitchen duty as cooking always ended in dishwashing, and so was relegated to decking out the living room which included both the careful placement of the various fun strobe lights, floor and lava lamps that the couple had procured, as well as the careful stowing away of any breakable items.

“It says you should also take the picture frames off the walls,” Yeonjun called from the kitchen. Heeseung glanced over and smirked at how Yeonjun was obviously reading some article on the subject online on his phone, using one finger to carefully scroll down the page, his face a little bit too close to the screen. Soobin pushed his hand down a little bit as he passed by, almost as if it was second nature as Yeonjun continued to squint at the screen.

It was almost hilarious how out of touch Yeonjun was when it came to using electronics sometimes. Heeseung had met him as a first year when he’d been a part of the dance team. Yeonjun had been the cool team captain that absolutely everyone had a crush on even though Yeonjun was obviously very happy with Soobin by that point. Yeonjun and Heeseung had become close as Heeseung loved to dance even though his focus was more drawn towards music and music production, which was also something that Yeonjun was studying alongside dance. Heeseung’s first two years at school were lovingly shepherded by the couple and he couldn’t have asked for better hyungs.

Heeseung was forced to drop the dance team when he became a third year because of the steady internship he’d gotten. Yeonjun had also graduated and was in the middle of his masters. By some twist of fate, Yeonjun was slotted to be Heeseung’s TA the following semester for one of his musical theory classes and he honestly couldn’t wait to see how Yeonjun would manage sending emails and creating PowerPoints that didn’t look as if they were made by a four year old.

As Heeseung hurriedly took down the last of the photo frames from the wall, housing pictures of Yeonjun and Soobin, sometimes pictured with their extended circle of friends, Heeseung included, the first guests began to arrive in a steady stream. Yeonjun and Soobin quickly erased the evidence of their harried work in the kitchen and turned up the music as guests set the drinks and snacks they’d brought in a pile on the kitchen counter, groups beginning to form throughout the small apartment.

Soobin pulled Heeseung onto a couch at the back of the room so they could sit and rest, the two of them giggling together over how Yeonjun went up to every single person as they arrived to welcome them.

Heeseung knew most of the people in attendance. The majority were from either the dance team, the music department, or people from the literature department that Soobin had invited. Heeseung spotted Kang Taehyun and his boyfriend Kai Huening and gave them a little wave. They were friends with Jongseong and Jaeyun, Taehyun also knowing Soobin from being in the same department.

Closely following them from behind was Choi Beomgyu who glanced at Heeseung for a moment, returned his wave with a short, bright smile before he moved on in the direction of the kitchen. They had dated during their first year for several months but at some point, they’d decided that they’d probably be better off as friends. Things had been awkward for the first little while after they’d broken up, but they had the same friend groups and so couldn’t really avoid each other forever. Because of this, Heeseung believed that their friendship had gradually recovered over the years and was glad for it as Beomgyu had transferred into the music department this past year and they had quite a few classes together.

Jongseong and Jaeyun slipped in fashionably late and waved enthusiastically across the now-crowded living room at Heeseung and Soobin on the sofa before they dived excitedly into the crowd.

“Thanks for coming early to help,” Soobin said, having to raise his voice to be heard over the music and the laughter. He put a hand on Heeseung’s knee and gave him a warm smile, Heeseung leaning into his side comfortably as he shook his head.

“I’m glad I managed to get here early at all,” he responded with a laugh, his eyes catching a flash of pink as Yeonjun once more made a trip to the front door. “I couldn’t have lived with myself if I had let you help Yeonjun-hyung out on your own.” Heeseung was joking but when he looked back over at Soobin, the older was looking at his lap with a small smile on his face.

“He’s wanted to do something like this for a long time.” Soobin’s voice was lower now so that Heeseung had to lean closer to hear him. “I hope it lives up to his expectations.” Heeseung didn’t understand why both Yeonjun and Soobin seemed to be so invested in the experience of throwing a party but he chalked it up to them wanting to do things like this together as a couple.

“I mean,” Heeseung laughed, throwing out an arm to gesture at the gaggle of people dancing a few feet away from them, complete with music and flashing lights, “I really don’t think university parties get much better than this.” Soobin grinned at that, raising his head to look around at his apartment.

“You’re not wrong,” he readily agreed, satisfaction now tinging his voice. He turned back to Heeseung as if to say something else when a loud shout of “Bin!” was briefly heard over the din of the crowd. Heeseung watched as Soobin’s face lit up at something behind him, the older waving enthusiastically.

Heeseung turned to see what had grabbed Soobin’s attention and saw Yeonjun waving at them as he approached, hugging the wall to avoid the dance pile. He was pushing someone ahead of him in their direction. The person looked to be quite a bit smaller than Yeonjun but before Heeseung could figure out if he knew them or not in the dim light created by the flashing lights all around them, the person stopped for a brief moment, looking in their direction. Heeseung thought he could see them exchange a few rushed words with Yeonjun before the person began to make a direct beeline towards them.

Heeseung watched as the young man – who seemed to be a bit younger than himself – came to a stop directly in front of Heeseung and Soobin’s couch and was now staring down at Heeseung. Heeseung himself was incapable of doing much else as he suddenly felt himself drawn into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. They were the kind of eyes that you would be lucky to come across once in your life and yet here they were right in front of him, staring down at him as if searching for something.

A niggling part at the back of his mind was sure that these particular eyes were familiar to him but this thought was immediately thrown out the window as Heeseung realized with a jolt that the prettiest person he’d ever seen in his life was staring down at him with an outstretched hand, an adorable smile on his face and that his name was apparently Kim Sunoo. He also realized that he was staring up at this person – Sunoo – with his mouth agape in front of both Soobin and Yeonjun who he knew wouldn’t hesitate to tease him for it later.

Heeseung cleared his throat and tried for what he hoped was a charming smile that definitely trembled at the corners as he shook Sunoo’s hand. “I’m Lee Heeseung, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Sunoo said, Heeseung hating that he was able to tell how surprisingly low and mellow Sunoo’s voice was even over the din of the music. Heeseung could feel Soobin’s eyes boring into him even as he saw Yeonjun slowly walk up to stand behind Sunoo, the couple looking between the two of them with way more interest than was necessary.

“Do you, um, go to our university, too?” Heeseung asked with a nervous chuckle, vaguely gesturing at himself, Soobin and Yeonjun. Sunoo’s eyes ( _his beautiful, never-before-seen-on-this-earth-eyes_ ) widened a little at the question and he let out a small giggle as he glanced over his shoulder at Yeonjun before looking back at Heeseung and nodding.

“Yeah, I do! I’m a… first year! In the drama department,” he added quickly, a light blush turning the tips of his ears red so vividly that Heeseung could see it even in the odd lighting. Heeseung tilted his head curiously as he stared up at Sunoo, almost able to ignore Soobin and Yeonjun’s presence as he drank in every expression that crossed the younger man’s face.

“It’s so weird that I’ve never seen you before.” Heeseung frowned thoughtfully, Sunoo’s eyes widening even more, his lips parting in surprise.

“R-really?” Kim Sunoo’s voice got higher in pitch when he got nervous and it was adorable. “We must have run into each other once or twice before, even if just in passing.”

“Believe me,” Heeseung went on, his frown slowly turning into a smile, “if I had run into you on campus, I _definitely_ would have remembered.” Heeseung was thrilled that this seemed to do the trick, Sunoo’s eyes blinking rapidly as a flush claimed the rest of his face as his smile immediately turned shy, causing Heeseung’s weak heart to thud to life in his chest.

Before Heeseung could deliver the finishing blow however, the pair and their two spectators were suddenly interrupted by a stumbling, very drunk Choi Beomgyu who parked himself on the arm of the sofa but wasn’t able to keep his balance as he flopped sideways across Soobin and Heeseung’s laps. Beomgyu squinted up at Heeseung with a frown, a whine escaping him as he recognized him.

“Heeseung-ah,” Beomgyu whined, drawing his name out as long as he could before reaching up to poke Heeseung in the chest. “I’ve been looking for you… let’s go bar hopping again huh? It used to be so much funnnn.” Heeseung rolled his eyes as Soobin pulled Beomgyu into a sitting position on his lap as he started to rub circles on his back, his gaze immediately going back to Sunoo, only to find the spot where he and Yeonjun had been standing empty.

~☀~

Sunoo let himself be dragged away by Yeonjun, the older making a beeline through the living room towards the hallway, heading straight for his bedroom. Sunoo stared vacantly ahead of himself, aware of his own heartbeat pulsing in his ears as he raised a shaky hand to rest over his chest. In all the time he’d ever been alive, he’d never felt like this before. The only thing he could think of that was somewhat similar was back when he’d first met the child – _Lee Heeseung_ – all those years ago.

Yeonjun pushed Sunoo into the bedroom after he hastily unlocked it (if Sunoo had been more aware of himself he would have laughed at Yeonjun for locking his bedroom door to which Yeonjun would have explained that the party planning website he’d used had told him he should) and shut the door firmly behind them, drowning out the noise and music from the party.

Yeonjun turned to face Sunoo who was standing in the middle of the modest-sized room, still in a daze, his fingers clenched into the fabric of his red sweater right over where the funny feeling filled his chest.

“Hey, Kim Sunoo.” Yeonjun’s voice was firm but also anxious as he stepped closer to Sunoo, bending slightly to try and get Sunoo to look at him. “Hey,” he said in a firmer tone as Sunoo continued to blink at a spot behind Yeonjun. Yeonjun tsked his tongue in frustration. “Hey! Breathe!” He shouted this time, bringing up a hand to slap Sunoo’s cheek a little.

Sunoo blinked rapidly as he refocused his attention on Yeonjun, coming back to himself with a small jolt as he took a deep breath, realizing that he had indeed forgotten to breathe momentarily.

“What was that?” Sunoo whispered, staring up at Yeonjun looking completely lost.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes. “Are you kidding me? I should be the one asking you that. Since when do you go to our school? Or, any school at all for that matter?”

Sunoo opened his mouth as if to retort but before he could, realization flashed across his face and he closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands in mortification.

“Oh god, what did I do?” Yeonjun huffed out a laugh as he gently patted Sunoo’s shoulder.

“It was like watching a train wreck,” Yeonjun admitted, folding his arms across his chest now and staring at Sunoo closely. “You’re lucky you’re so pretty that Heeseungie was momentarily out of his mind. He’s a pretty smart guy usually.”

At the mention of the boy’s name, Sunoo’s head snapped back up to look at Yeonjun.

“Wait. The child. Lee Heeseung.” The name felt nice and natural to say but Sunoo could barely address that thought right then. “How is he here?” Sunoo watched as Yeonjun’s expression shifted into something that looked suspiciously like guilt. “Have you… been watching out for him this whole time?”

Yeonjun shifted slightly on his feet, although his eyes remained locked with Sunoo’s. “It was Jimin-hyung’s idea. You know how guilty he felt after everything happened fifteen years ago?” Sunoo nodded. That night had changed his boss forever, in more ways than one. “Well, not too long afterwards is when he asked me to start keeping tabs on the child,” Yeonjun continued, a faraway look in his eyes. “He wanted to make sure that he was at least safe and cared for wherever he ended up going.”

Sunoo frowned a little. “Why didn’t he ask me to do it? Or we could’ve done it together! I was the one who saved him in the first place.” Sunoo knew he sounded whiny, but he couldn’t help but feel wronged. He’d had no idea where the child had gone after he’d left him at the police station. He’d always figured that the humans would be able to take care of him well enough. But now he was feeling like he’d been somewhat robbed. _Of what?_ His brain questioned.

“You hadn’t even lived a full century as a human yet,” Yeonjun answered with a small smile. “There was no way Jimin-hyung would have let you undertake something so sensitive. Riki’s your first charge, right?” Sunoo reluctantly nodded. “Do you think you could have reliably handled keeping track of a human child’s status without being discovered.” Sunoo blinked at Yeonjun once before shaking his head. “Exactly.”

“But!” Sunoo exclaimed, taking a step forward as he narrowed his eyes at Yeonjun. “What about now? You were just looking after him before, how are you friends now?” Yeonjun raised an eyebrow at Sunoo’s tone but shrugged in response.

“That part is honestly a coincidence. When I became human, I’d already been at the school for a while. I never expected Heeseung to show up at the dance team tryouts on his first day.” Sunoo watched Yeonjun’s fond smile, a tiny prick of jealousy eating at his chest. “We just became friends naturally after that.”

“And why haven’t I met him sooner then?” Sunoo asked, lips pouting in confusion. “Did you purposely not let me meet him until now?”

Yeonjun instantly shook his head. “I promise it’s nothing like that. I really didn’t think you’d remember him and besides, when I became human the only times we really hang out are when we go out together to get food. It’s the whole different friend circles thing, I swear it wasn’t on purpose.”

Sunoo frowned thoughtfully, glancing away as his hand absentmindedly came up to rub at his chest once more. Yeonjun watched him closely, his eyes narrowing slightly at the gesture.

“I am curious though,” Yeonjun began slowly and Sunoo glanced back at him again. “I’m honestly surprised that you recognized him. It’s been fifteen years after all, and humans grow very quickly.”

Sunoo’s hand paused over his heart, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought about it. “I’m not entirely sure.” His fingers clutched around his sweater once more as he stared at Yeonjun. “It’s like I saw him and I just… knew him.”

Yeonjun’s eyes flitted from the confusion on Sunoo’s face to the hand gripping at his chest and then back, a flurry of emotions swimming behind his eyes that settled on a slow realization.

“Can you…” Yeonjun slowly gestured towards Sunoo’s chest, raising his eyebrows as if asking a question. Sunoo blinked at him before he realized what he was asking and obligingly closed his eyes. Sunoo mentally reached into himself, grasping onto a small, contained orb of swirling energy that lay within his chest and pushing it out of himself with a small gasp. Sunoo opened his eyes to see his fox bead now floating above his cupped hands.

The ball of energy was only an inch in diameter, but it swirled and pulsed with energy, glowing a bright golden colour, the feel of it warm within Sunoo’s grasp. This was the source of Sunoo’s power, this glowing mass of energy that Sunoo had carefully cultivated over a century as he existed as a true fox out in the wilderness through intense meditation and isolation. This is what allowed him to eventually acquire a human form, setting him on the path to achieve something akin to immortality.

The two of them looked closely at it for a moment, although it seemed unchanged to Sunoo’s eyes. Perhaps a bit more erratic in its inner motion than usual and Sunoo knew that that was probably what had been causing his chest to feel so funny.

They were interrupted by Riki suddenly banging open the closet door on the other side of the room. Sunoo jumped at the sudden noise, his fox bead safely disappearing back into his chest as Yeonjun shot a withering glance at Riki.

“What on earth are you doing in my closet?” Riki looked between to the two of them, an innocent smile crossing his face.

“It got too loud out there,” Riki explained as he came up to them, glancing at where the fox bead had just vanished. “And your conversation was interesting. Lee Heeseung, huh?”

Sunoo rolled his eyes at the kid, even as his ears burned in embarrassment.

“Let’s keep all this on the downlow,” Yeonjun said, patting Riki on the shoulder. “Why don’t we go back out together?”

Sunoo thought about it briefly for a moment before shaking his head, looking at Yeonjun apologetically. “I think we should get going, I don’t think I’m in the right head space anymore for…” Sunoo gestured vaguely back in the direction of the loud living room, “all this.”

Yeonjun looked disappointed but nodded, taking a step back towards the door.

“Wait.” Yeonjun paused at Sunoo’s interjection. “Do you…” Sunoo took a deep, steadying breath. “Do you think I could see Heeseung again?” Yeonjun closely looked Sunoo over before sighing.

“Honestly, looking at you now, it kind of seems like a terrible idea.” Sunoo felt his shoulders instantly sag, the force of his disappointment catching even himself off-guard. “But,” Yeonjun went on, Sunoo’s eyes brightening almost immediately, “we can talk about it.” Sunoo felt that his answer was a bit lukewarm but for right then it would have to do.

Yeonjun opened his bedroom door, the previously muffled sounds of the party outside instantly regaining their volume as Sunoo and Riki waved bye to Yeonjun before making their way slowly back out to the open living room. The party continued to be in full swing, someone now having set up some sort of game involving half-filled cups of alcohol and what looked like Ping-Pong balls in the kitchen.

Sunoo swept his eyes over the crowd as he and Riki made their way towards the front door, trying to catch a last glimpse of Heeseung among the gathering but he ended up disappointed. He tried to comfort himself by thinking that Yeonjun hadn’t entirely shot down the idea of being able to meet with Heeseung again, but he still stepped towards the exit with a dejected feeling filling his chest.

He slipped his shoes back on in the front entryway, Sunoo about to open the door for him and Riki when a hand suddenly grabbed onto Sunoo’s elbow. Sunoo turned, only to find himself faced with none other than Lee Heeseung himself.

Now that Heeseung was standing, Sunoo realized with a start that the other was over half a head taller than him now, the thought of it making Sunoo feel slightly lightheaded. Heeseung was looking down at him with the same big doe-eyes that he remembered from when he was a child and it was as if a butterfly had taken up permanent residence in his chest for how jittery he was feeling.

“Are you leaving already?” Heeseung asked, his voice raised over the sound of music coming from behind him. His gentle hold on Sunoo’s elbow felt as if it were scalding him but Sunoo couldn’t care less.

“Um, yeah, we’re pretty tired,” Sunoo explained with a light laugh that was cut short as he felt a sharp jab between his shoulder blades. “I mean I’m – I’m pretty tired. I just wanted to congratulate Yeonjun-hyung and Soobin-hyung on successfully throwing their first party.” Heeseung smiled, his expression growing fond as he glanced over his shoulder at the said party happening in the background.

“Yeah, they were pretty nervous. I’m glad it worked out.” Heeseung turned his gaze back to Sunoo, his eyebrows raising slightly. “And I’m glad we met.” The small smile that crossed Heeseung’s face was too sweet for Sunoo to look at directly, so he instead focused on the way Heeseung’s black hair brushed across his forehead, just over his eyelashes. It wasn’t that much better of an idea. “Maybe we’ll run into each other on campus now that we’ve officially met?” Heeseung continued, Sunoo hoping that it was indeed hope that tinged his words.

Sunoo smiled back at Heeseung, shrugging his shoulders with a little giggle as he stepped back towards the door, feeling Heeseung’s hand slip from his elbow. “If we are meant to, nothing can prevent it. I’m sure of it.” The last Sunoo saw of Heeseung before he left the apartment was his smile that grew a little wider with his words. It was the type of smile that Sunoo felt should always be present in the world, that’s how sweet and adorable it was.

Sunoo paused for a moment down the hallway outside of the apartment, a hand over his chest as he smiled secretly to himself before finally getting it together enough to return to the House. His thoughts were so entirely occupied that he didn’t notice that Riki was no longer beside him.

~ထ~

If someone were to ask Yang Jungwon what he was doing at one on a Sunday morning sitting at the kitchen table with his schoolbooks spread out around him, he’d say that he was cramming for his math quiz on Monday. What he would definitely deny is any insinuation that he was waiting up for his brother to come back home from Yeonjun’s party, which was absolutely not true.

Jungwon loved and looked up to his brother a lot and they’d been inseparable ever since Heeseung became a part of their family. The two years Heeseung spent living at school were tough for him and he missed him like crazy. Being able to live together again was honestly all Jungwon wanted.

His brother was three years older than him, yes, but there was always something about Heeseung that came off as innocent and wide-eyed, as if he moved through the world with his head up in the clouds sometimes. He was an extremely hard worker for the things he was passionate about and would put his all into it, sometimes at the detriment of both his physical and mental health. Jungwon couldn’t remember the last time Heeseung had gone out with his friends outside of school-related things or just grabbing a bite to eat so he was genuinely glad that he’d been able to force his brother out of the house that evening.

That of course didn’t prevent Jungwon from waiting for him to come home, his head beginning to droop a little bit as he stared at the numbers on his worksheet, the equations beginning to blur together. He knew his brother would be fine, but he couldn’t deny the curiosity that had been gnawing at him all evening.

Jungwon’s head whipped up as he finally heard the front door open, accompanied by the sound of Heeseung taking off his shoes in the front entryway.

Jungwon stood and quickly swept his papers and books into a neat pile on the table before stepping out of the kitchen to watch Heeseung tiredly walk into the apartment.

Jungwon’s eyes picked out the slightly space-out expression on Heeseung’s face as he got closer. It was the expression he got whenever he was thinking so deeply about something that he paid very little attention to anything else.

“How’d it go, hyung?” Jungwon asked, Heeseung blinking as he came to a stop in front of his little brother and looking down at Jungwon as if seeing him for the first time.

“You’re still awake? How very irresponsible of you.” Jungwon rolled his eyes as Heeseung smiled at him, the vacant expression momentarily vanishing from his eyes.

“Studying,” Jungwon said by way of explanation, gesturing back towards the kitchen. “Did everything go well?”

Heeseung nodded, pushing a hand through his black hair that had begun to be a bit more messy than just stylishly mussed. “I think so, everyone looked like they had fun. I thought Yeonjun-hyung was going to pass out for a moment, but he pulled through.” Heeseung glanced quickly at Jungwon before looking away, pressing his lips together.

Jungwon raised an eyebrow curiously. “And?”

Heeseung looked back at Jungwon quickly, eyes widening a little at Jungwon having caught his hesitance, before chuckling a little with an awkward shrug. “There was a really beautiful guy that I met, that’s all.” Jungwon’s eyes widened at the red tinging Heeseung’s ears that weren’t there a moment before.

“How beautiful are we talking here?” Jungwon asked with a laugh, watching incredulously as Heeseung’s eyes visibly brightened, a frankly starstruck smile crossing his face.

“Like, he-shouldn’t-even-be-real beautiful.”

“Did you get his number?” Heeseung’s smile dimmed slightly and he made a dismissive gesture with his hands.

“Nah, he goes to my school, but I doubt we’ll run into each other again. Maybe in passing because I guess he’s friends with Yeonjun-hyung but…” Heeseung’s faraway stare reappeared on his face then as he stared at nothing over Jungwon’s head. “I’m happy to know someone like him exists in the world.”

Jungwon felt his heart hurt a little but he snorted at Heeseung’s suddenly self-sacrificing declaration, alleviating the atmosphere a little. He watched as Heeseung shuffled his way in the direction of the washroom, Jungwon calling out to him that he’ll make them some ramyeon before they go to sleep.

Jungwon couldn’t really remember the last time Heeseung had ever talked about someone like that. He knew it had been a while since Heeseung had been in a relationship but Jungwon was pretty sure that since Beomgyu, Heeseung had gone on a handful of dates but they’d never amounted to anything as far as Jungwon was aware of.

_This guy must be stunning,_ was Jungwon’s only thought as he walked back into the kitchen, heading for the cupboards over the sink where they kept Heeseung’s treasured packs of ramyeon.

Jungwon opened the cupboard, his mind still thinking about the way Heeseung had talked about the mysterious person and how cute it was, when suddenly the cupboard door slammed back shut in his face.

Jungwon barely managed to avoid his fingers getting crushed as he leaped back with a shrill shriek, stumbling backwards before eventually falling on his butt on the kitchen floor, staring up at the cupboard in shock. His heartbeat was going crazy in his chest and Jungwon put his hand over it, trying to calm himself down, hating that he still got startled when things like this happened.

They lived in a world that – despite the existence of evidence to the contrary – largely believed that the supernatural did not (and could not) exist. Science did it’s best to prove that everything under the sun had a reason for existing and occurring and most people went about their lives happy to exist in this truth.

For Heeseung and Jungwon’s family however, this had never really been the case.

Not too long after Heeseung had become a permanent part of their family, there had suddenly been inexplainable happenings all throughout their childhood home. It was all harmless on the surface-level: doors shutting on their own, a mysterious wind blowing through still rooms, lights flickering on-and-off, a child’s toy left in odd places that children could not get to.

The first incident had only lasted a few days and so their parents hadn’t done anything and had just chalked it up to how old their house was and how rambunctious their two young boys were.

However, six months later it happened again. This time, their parents now filled with anxiety, they went and visited a shaman on the edge of their town at the recommendation of a friend, their two little boys in tow. The old woman had taken one look at Heeseung and Jungwon before shaking her head with a small smile, her kind eyes warmly encompassing the two of them.

According to her, Heeseung had a past that was traumatic enough and filled with enough death and violence that he now carried a permanent mark on his spirit, making him more susceptible to being followed by wandering spirits. Their parents hadn’t told her anything about Heeseung, so they were more inclined to believe her.

“As for him,” the shaman had continued, looking at a very young Yang Jungwon with eyes that grew even warmer when they fell onto him. She had held out a soft, warm hand towards the then four-year-old, Jungwon smiling and waddling closer to take it. “There are some in this world that are naturally more sensitive to those that have gone on before,” she had said, looking up at their parents. “They are few and far between but extremely important. This is a gift,” she had gone on, looking back at the beaming Jungwon with a smile, “and one that, if used correctly, can bring immeasurable good into the world. I hope he one day finds a way to use it.”

She had gone on to explain that Heeseung and Jungwon’s sensitivity to the supernatural, when combined, acted as a bright beacon for those who continued to wander even after death. They weren’t dangerous, she had reassured them. They were, at most, mischievous. They usually only wished for themselves to be acknowledged by the living for a little while longer before they naturally moved on to the afterlife.

She had insisted it was nothing to fear, and so their family had lived for fifteen years with ghosts as occasional houseguests. They really did only show up five or six times a year, and only hung around for two-to-three days at a time so it was never a huge inconvenience and their presence became natural.

Jungwon knew it was strange, but it became an ordinary part of both his and Heeseung’s lives. Jungwon was a very level-headed person in general, there wasn’t much that phased him, so it didn’t take long for Jungwon to become accustomed to having those who had already passed on cling to him every now and then.

It was normal, but that didn’t stop Jungwon from getting startled every time one appeared and did something to make themselves known, much to his chagrin.

Jungwon sat now on the kitchen floor, waiting for his heartbeat to slow as he gave a withering glance at the source-less wind that rustled the leaves of a potted plant on the windowsill above the sink.

“Looks like we’ll be having a roommate for the next few days, hyung,” Jungwon called, getting to his feet, and resuming his task as if nothing had happened.

~ෆ~

The next day was a Sunday and Heeseung used the excuse of his internship in order to escape from the new ghost who, for now, seemed more interested in hanging around Jungwon than himself. Heeseung knew they never really meant any harm to them but that didn’t stop them from being an inconvenience. The little tricks that they sometimes played earned the two brothers a reputation for being a bit clumsy which was annoying (even though Jungwon insisted that they were naturally clumsy anyways).

During the two years they hadn’t lived together, the rate at which spirits found and attached themselves to them decreased a lot, but Heeseung figured that seeing them more often once again was a small price to pay for not having to live alone.

Heeseung quickly made his way deeper into the city, the sun bright but the wind making it a bit cooler than it was the day before. It was early in May, so the touch of spring was everywhere, making everything feel a little more alive than it did at any other time of the year.

Heeseung reached his internship within half an hour, letting himself into the tall building which contained the handful of rooms that made up Respect Studios with his pass, the studio belonging to the producer duo that Heeseung was lucky enough to get in with as a part of his school internship.

Min Yoongi and Kim Namjoon were long-time friends and business partners, the two music geniuses well-known for the hits they wrote for idols and soloists alike, and Heeseung had looked up to them both a lot before even snagging the internship. They were both kind to him and treated him well, taking their role of mentoring him seriously. During the week, he would come in two or three times where he would be in charge of cleaning up tracks as well as handling the two producer’s emails to-and-from clients as well as the label they created works for, Big Hit Music. It was a good opportunity that allowed him to learn more about how the industry worked on a professional level, even though it was a bit boring at times.

Yoongi and Namjoon knew that, which is why they gave him permission to come in on the weekends as often as he liked in order to use their equipment for his own projects. It was an opportunity that Heeseung used frequently for school and to develop his own portfolio.

Jungwon would say he spent too much time here but Heeseung was never as happy as when he was singing to create demos or mixing songs and creating beats, and he would always be grateful to have been given this opportunity.

That particular Sunday though, Heeseung found himself absentmindedly working on some files he had to hand in for school in a few weeks, his thoughts often straying from the task at hand. The one thought that he found he kept coming back to was none other than Kim Sunoo. He kept seeing him standing there in the middle of the dimly lit room, beautiful fox-like eyes reflecting the pulsing lights around them as he stared down at him.

Now that Heeseung was alone and could think a bit more clearly, it was obvious that Sunoo’s eyes were very much like those he remembered having seen as a child; the one thing he truly remembered witnessing. Except for the fact that Sunoo’s weren’t glowing yellow as they looked at him, of course.

Heeseung knew that it had to be some sort of crazy coincidence. He couldn’t even tell if the eyes looking at him in his memory were attached to a body or not, let alone a human. And Sunoo definitely was a human. Sure, he was the prettiest human Heeseung had ever met but he was there, standing in front of him. That wasn’t a dream.

Heeseung was shaken from his train of thought by the studio door opening. He turned around to find Kim Namjoon walking in, holding a cup of iced americano that he set beside Heeseung on the desk which he then leaned on, crossing his arms, and smiling down at the student with a dimpled smile.

“Figured I’d find you here,” he said, his deep voice as warm as always. Heeseung sighed and reached for the coffee, taking a long sip of the cold liquid. “Do you have a second?” At Heeseung’s nod, Namjoon unfolded his arms and steepled his hands together on his lap, his expression becoming serious as he looked down at Heeseung.

“Our label is holding a competition to find future hitmakers so that we can bring them into our ranks and foster their talent,” Namjoon explained as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a slightly crumpled brochure that he set in front of Heeseung. “The winner will be awarded at a special dinner organized by the chairman himself, and they’ll also have a one hundred percent employment guarantee if they want it.”

Heeseung stared down at the brochure that read: “The Future of Big Hit’s Big Hits!” in bold letters, a seed of excitement beginning to grow within him.

Namjoon smiled down at him. “The deadline to enter is in five weeks. I really think you should take the opportunity and perhaps sing your song yourself if it fits. You’re too talented to only stick to one thing you’re good at, it’s best to show variety.” Heeseung looked up at Namjoon and grinned, his big eyes sparkling in excitement.

“Thank you, boss!” Namjoon rolled his eyes as he ruffled Heeseung’s hair.

“When will you start calling me ‘hyung’, kid?”

“Ah, I mean, thank you Namjoon-hyung!” Namjoon smiled as he pushed himself off the desk and began walking back towards the door.

“You’d better do me and Yoongi-hyung proud, Heeseung! We believe in you!” Heeseung stood and bowed after Namjoon as the older man left, turning back to the desk, and grabbing the brochure, staring at it in excitement. He eagerly sat back down in front of the computer he’d been messing around with and opened the folder that contained all the files that he’d saved in his backlog. The task of sorting through them was going to be daunting but Heeseung was the type to go all-in once he began a project that he was passionate about, so that was where he spent the rest of his day.

Monday morning found Heeseung blinking blearily in the backseat of Jongseong’s SUV, Jungwon glancing at him every now and then with that familiar unimpressed look in his eyes. Whenever Jongseong and Jaeyun had a morning free without Jaeyun’s soccer practices, they often used it to come pick up the brothers to bring them to school in the morning as Jungwon’s high school was only a ten-minute drive from their university.

“You have to stop staying up so late,” Jaeyun said from the front passenger’s seat, turning around in his seatbelt to look at Heeseung worriedly.

Jaeyun was cute and radiated healing puppy energy and Heeseung tried to give him a comforting smile but it quickly turned into a yawn that he covered with his hand. Jongseong glanced at the rear-view mirror and rolled his eyes, taking a hand from the steering wheel to pull at Jaeyun’s hand, holding it firmly in the space between them.

“You know better than to try and reason with Heeseung-hyung,” Jongseong teased, fondness leaking through his words. Heeseung and Jongseong had been friends ever since they met in high school when Heeseung was the captain of the dance team. They got along well and were always a fun duo to be around, causing them to be popular throughout their school years. Heeseung was glad that Jongseong had found Jaeyun once he entered university the year after him. Jaeyun had been newly arrived from Australia as an exchange student and Jongseong had been instantly smitten by him. Heeseung knew that Jaeyun did a lot to soften Jongseong’s harder edges and Jaeyun had become much more confident and outspoken since he and Jongseong began dating. They balanced each other out perfectly and Heeseung would always be grateful that they were a part of his life.

Although sometimes he hated that he was such good friends with him as that meant that they also knew all his bad habits as well. The last thing he needed was to have Jungwon after him more than he already was.

Luckily for him, Jongseong got distracted by recounting how they spent their own Sunday, launching into his story eagerly as they approached Jungwon’s high school.

“You know my cousin, Sunghoon?” He asked, continuing when the brothers nodded. “I tried to invite him _again_ to the family dinner my mom hosted yesterday but he left me on read. Even his parents came but they were as cagey about him as ever.”

This wasn’t the first time Heeseung had heard Jongseong go on a rant about his cousin. He’d even met Sunghoon on a handful of occasions back when they were in high school, but he hadn’t seen him for quite a while now. According to Jongseong, their branch of the Park family was always weird and closed-off from the others and that his mother had been determined to change things in recent years but that it was apparently a slow process. Jongseong took Sunghoon’s refusal to try and pursue a more familial relationship personally though, which meant that the three other people in the car knew very well what his thoughts about it all were.

Jaeyun squeezed Jongseong’s hand gently. “He might really just be busy. He apparently works in the… hotel business?” Jaeyun glanced at Jongseong questioningly who nodded stiffly, pulling in front of Jungwon’s school. “We should give him the benefit of doubt.”

“Like I haven’t been doing that for years,” Jongseong sighed as he brought the car to a stop and unlocked the door so that Jungwon could get out.

Jungwon smiled and waved at them as he reached for the door handle, only for the lock to click back into place right before he could open it. Jungwon glanced back at Heeseung and rolled his eyes before quickly flipping the lock back open and pushing the door open, hopping out before the ghost (who continued to stick by Jungwon like glue) could further interfere.

“Bye hyungs! Thanks!” Heeseung watched as Jungwon made his way through his school gates, his backpack thumping against his back, a little bit of worry crossing his mind but knowing that they were both used to this by now, and that he would be fine.

As Jongseong started to drive in the direction of their university, Heeseung spoke up before his friends could continue with their previous strand of conversation.

“I mentioned this to Jungwon last night, but the label that Respect Studios belongs to is holding an open competition to recruit new talented hitmakers, and Namjoon-hyung and Yoongi-hyung told me to try for it.” Jaeyun turned back around, a bright smile crossing his face.

“Really?”

“That’s so cool, hyung!” Jongseong exclaimed.

“I’m sure you’ll win, there’s no way you couldn’t!” Jaeyun said, such confidence filling his voice that Heeseung couldn’t help but be infected with it.

“I don’t know about that, but I have a few possibilities in mind.”

Heeseung spent the remaining minutes of their drive to school going over those ideas with his friends, the two of them listening to him attentively as Heeseung brainstormed to them. They sometimes gave him suggestions, other times just positive reinforcement, and Heeseung could feel his confidence begin to grow.

They were still discussing it closely among the three of them by the time Jongseong parked the car in the student parking area, the three of them beginning their walk into the bustling campus, the air warm and breezy around them.

Heeseung was so invested in telling his friends about the one track he was leaning the most heavily towards, Jaeyun and Jongseong flanking him as they listened, that he ended up bumping into someone in the middle of a campus walkway.

The other person was quite a bit shorter than he was and so began to fall back after the impact but Heeseung reacted quickly enough to reach out and catch him by the elbow, keeping him on his feet.

“I’m sorry, are you…” The words died on Heeseung’s lips as the head of black hair that Heeseung had bumped into looked up to reveal the bewitching eyes of none other than Kim Sunoo. Heeseung’s mouth opened in shock as Sunoo blinked up in seemingly equal surprise, Heeseung taking in the backpack on Sunoo’s back and the paper clutched in his hands.

It definitely didn’t slip his notice that Sunoo was even more beautiful in broad daylight but Heeseung could also see that he was almost equally as adorable, with roundish cheeks and a cute nose. But Heeseung was too shocked to internalize any of it and instead settled on staring at him instead.

Sunoo looked right back up at him, his own initially surprised expression morphing into a self-satisfied smile as he raised an eyebrow at Heeseung. “I told you, didn’t I? I guess we were meant to meet again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ty to everyone who leaves comments/kudos, you all mean a lot <3


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